Why Did the Elk Cross the Road?

Definition: What is the problem?

NMDOT is already developing wildlife crossings on US 550 near Cuba, NM. Our project will investigate roads in the Pojoaque-Los Alamos area, including NM 502 and NM4, to determine where the next wildlife crossing should be built to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Purpose- Why is this important?

Wild-life collisions can injure or kill animals, damage vehicles, endanger drivers, and disrupt major commuter routes into Los Alamos. Our goal is to determine where a wildlife crossing could have the greatest impact in reducing collisions and protecting wildlife.

Plan of Action:

We will collect data on wild-life collisions, traffic patterns, wildlife movement, habitat, speed limits, season, weather, terrain, wildfires, elevations, and time of day. Will will use this information to create a computational model that identifies high risk locations. The model will simulate potential wildlife crossings at different locations to determine where the next crossing could prevent the most collisions.